Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple
HARE KRISHNA
KERALA
Name of the temple : Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple
Main Deity : Maha Vishnu
Local Name : Unnikrishnan, Guruvayurappan
Location : Guruvayur, Trissur District, Kerala
Nearest City : Cochin
Website : http://guruvayurdevaswom.nic.in/
Importance of the temple : This temple is famous for its healing powers. It is also famous for ‘chorunnu' or ‘Anna prasanam’, the ritual of introducing the
first rice feeding to the child.
History:
The idol of the Sri Krishna temple in Guruvayur has been a blessing to mankind since Satya Yuga. The idol is in the majestic form of Maha Vishnu with four arms holding a conch (Panchajanyam), a discus (Sudarsana Chakra), a mace (Koumodaki) and a lotus. Guruvayur is called as "Bhooloka Vaikuntam"- the heaven on Earth.
During Padma Kalpa, Lord Brahma requested Lord Vishnu to give salvation to him and his creations. Lord Vishnu then gave an idol of Himself which was made by Him and told Lord Brahma that worshipping Him in this form would grant salvation to him and his creations. Later in the Varaha Kalpa of Satya Yuga,Lord Brahma gave this idol to a king named Sutapas and his wife Parsni who were worshipping Lord Vishnu to get a son. Lord Vishnu being satisfied with their devotion and worship appeared in front of them and stated that He would be born as their son and also in their next three births and in all their three births they will be blessed with this idol they were worshipping.
Their first birth was in Satya Yuga as king Sutapas and wife Parsni and the Lord was born to them as their son, Parsnigarba.
Later in Treta Yuga, Sutapass and Parsni were born as sage Kashyapa and wife Aditi and Lord was born as their son Vamana(5th avatar of Maha Vishnu).
Next in Treta Yuga,again they were born as king Dasaratha and wife Kausalya and the Lord was born as Lord Rama (7th avatar) .
Finally in Dwapara Yuga, they were born as Vasudeva and wife Devaki and Lord was born as Lord Krishna (8th avatar). In all these births this idol was with them.
Later Lord Krishna Himself took the idol to Dwaraka and started to worship it. When the time came for Him to ascend to heaven He told His dear friend Uddava to give the idol to sage Brihaspati, the Guru of the Devas and to Vayu, Lord of the wind. As per the instructions of the Lord, Uddava handed the idol to them and entrusted them with the task of finding a suitable place for the idol. They headed south and on their way they saw a large beautiful lake close to the sea, filled with lotuses of different colors. There was a forest adjacent to the lake and as they entered the forest they were met by Lord Parasurama who took them to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi who were staying there. When Brihaspati and Vayu Bhagavan told Lord Shiva that they were searching for a good place to make a temple for the idol, He mentioned the greatness of the place and offered their place to make the temple.
It was there Lord Shiva worshipped Lord Vishnu. The lake on the north side became known as Rudratheertham since Lord Shiva bathed there before conducting pujas. Later ten brothers called Prachetas came looking for Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva gave them Rudrageetham, a hymn to meditate on Lord Vishnu. They did so and their wishes were fulfilled.
Hearing of the greatness of the place Brihaspati and Vayu decided to establish the idol there. Vishwakarma, the architect of the Devas made a temple and the idol of Maha Vishnu was consecrated in the solar month of Kumba (February – March). He made it in such a way that on the day of Vishu (summer equinox) the first rays of the sun fall straight on Guruvaurappan’s feet. Since the temple was made by Guru and Vayu the place got the name Guruvayur and the idol got the name Guruvayurappan. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi decided to stay on the other end of the Rudratheertham and the place is called Mammiyoor.
The idol of Guruvayurappan is very unique since it is not made up of stone or metal but carved out of a mixture called padala anjanam, which is considered to have special medicinal property. This temple is famous for its healing powers. King Janamejaya, who was afflicted with leprosy, did penance at this temple and got himself cured. A Pandya king was also saved from the curse of snakebite after worshipping Guruvayuappan. Narayana Bhattathiri, wrote the famous Sanskrit work comprising of 1000 slokas in front of Guruvaurappan and got cured of his crippling arthritis. People believe Guruvayurappan comes to the rescue of his Bhakthas in distress and manifests his grace in infinite ways.
Play the below audio to listen Guruvayur Sri Krishna Mantra
The idol of the Sri Krishna temple in Guruvayur has been a blessing to mankind since Satya Yuga. The idol is in the majestic form of Maha Vishnu with four arms holding a conch (Panchajanyam), a discus (Sudarsana Chakra), a mace (Koumodaki) and a lotus. Guruvayur is called as "Bhooloka Vaikuntam"- the heaven on Earth.
During Padma Kalpa, Lord Brahma requested Lord Vishnu to give salvation to him and his creations. Lord Vishnu then gave an idol of Himself which was made by Him and told Lord Brahma that worshipping Him in this form would grant salvation to him and his creations. Later in the Varaha Kalpa of Satya Yuga,Lord Brahma gave this idol to a king named Sutapas and his wife Parsni who were worshipping Lord Vishnu to get a son. Lord Vishnu being satisfied with their devotion and worship appeared in front of them and stated that He would be born as their son and also in their next three births and in all their three births they will be blessed with this idol they were worshipping.
Their first birth was in Satya Yuga as king Sutapas and wife Parsni and the Lord was born to them as their son, Parsnigarba.
Later in Treta Yuga, Sutapass and Parsni were born as sage Kashyapa and wife Aditi and Lord was born as their son Vamana(5th avatar of Maha Vishnu).
Next in Treta Yuga,again they were born as king Dasaratha and wife Kausalya and the Lord was born as Lord Rama (7th avatar) .
Finally in Dwapara Yuga, they were born as Vasudeva and wife Devaki and Lord was born as Lord Krishna (8th avatar). In all these births this idol was with them.
Later Lord Krishna Himself took the idol to Dwaraka and started to worship it. When the time came for Him to ascend to heaven He told His dear friend Uddava to give the idol to sage Brihaspati, the Guru of the Devas and to Vayu, Lord of the wind. As per the instructions of the Lord, Uddava handed the idol to them and entrusted them with the task of finding a suitable place for the idol. They headed south and on their way they saw a large beautiful lake close to the sea, filled with lotuses of different colors. There was a forest adjacent to the lake and as they entered the forest they were met by Lord Parasurama who took them to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi who were staying there. When Brihaspati and Vayu Bhagavan told Lord Shiva that they were searching for a good place to make a temple for the idol, He mentioned the greatness of the place and offered their place to make the temple.
It was there Lord Shiva worshipped Lord Vishnu. The lake on the north side became known as Rudratheertham since Lord Shiva bathed there before conducting pujas. Later ten brothers called Prachetas came looking for Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva gave them Rudrageetham, a hymn to meditate on Lord Vishnu. They did so and their wishes were fulfilled.
Hearing of the greatness of the place Brihaspati and Vayu decided to establish the idol there. Vishwakarma, the architect of the Devas made a temple and the idol of Maha Vishnu was consecrated in the solar month of Kumba (February – March). He made it in such a way that on the day of Vishu (summer equinox) the first rays of the sun fall straight on Guruvaurappan’s feet. Since the temple was made by Guru and Vayu the place got the name Guruvayur and the idol got the name Guruvayurappan. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi decided to stay on the other end of the Rudratheertham and the place is called Mammiyoor.
The idol of Guruvayurappan is very unique since it is not made up of stone or metal but carved out of a mixture called padala anjanam, which is considered to have special medicinal property. This temple is famous for its healing powers. King Janamejaya, who was afflicted with leprosy, did penance at this temple and got himself cured. A Pandya king was also saved from the curse of snakebite after worshipping Guruvayuappan. Narayana Bhattathiri, wrote the famous Sanskrit work comprising of 1000 slokas in front of Guruvaurappan and got cured of his crippling arthritis. People believe Guruvayurappan comes to the rescue of his Bhakthas in distress and manifests his grace in infinite ways.
Play the below audio to listen Guruvayur Sri Krishna Mantra
